Best Password Managers for Mac

The short answer. Bitwarden if you want an open source manager with a free tier that is genuinely usable. 1Password if you want the most polished Mac and browser integration and are happy to pay for it. KeePassXC if you want the vault to be a file you own and control the sync yourself. Strongbox if you want to keep using a KeePass-format vault but prefer a native Mac app around it. Enpass if you would rather store the vault in your own cloud account. The decision that matters most is not which app — it is whether the vault is end-to-end encrypted, and all of these are.

This guide covers 7 password managers for macOS. Every fact below is drawn from the same verified records that back each app’s own page. The recommendations are our editorial judgment, not payment. Last verified 2026-10-05.

Quick comparison

What actually decides this

• Vault model: who holds the key. Some managers encrypt the vault so only you can open it; others can reset your access. Both are defensible, but they are different promises and you should know which you are getting.
• Where the vault is stored. The vendor’s servers, your own cloud account, or a file on your machine. This decides what happens when you stop paying, and who can be compelled to hand it over.
• Open source or not. An auditable client does not make a vault safe by itself, but it does mean the encryption claim can be checked by people who are not the vendor.
• Browser and system integration. Autofill that actually fills the field, and works in the apps you use. This is where a manager is won or lost in daily use, and where the polished options earn their price.
• Recovery and sharing. What happens if you lose the device, and whether you can share an item with someone else without handing over the vault. Both are ordinary needs that are easy to overlook.

Our picks

• Bitwarden — The client is open source and the free tier covers the ordinary case, which is unusual in this category. Choose it when you want an open source manager you can start using without paying.
• 1Password — Its Mac and browser integration is the reason people choose it over cheaper options that store the same kind of vault. Choose it when you want the least friction in daily use and are willing to pay for it.
• KeePassXC — The vault is a local file in an open format, so no vendor sits between you and your passwords — including for backup. Choose it when you want the vault to be a file you keep, and you will handle syncing it yourself.
• Strongbox — It reads KeePass-format databases, so the format stays portable while the daily interface is a Mac app. Choose it when you want the open vault format with a native Mac application around it.

The apps

1Password

1Password is a password manager for macOS. 1Password stores passwords, passkeys, secure notes and payment details in one encrypted vault on macOS, with autofill into browsers and native apps. Its pricing is not published.

Strengths. According to the developer, generates and stores passkeys as well as passwords. Autofills credentials, payment cards and addresses in browsers and native Mac apps. Watchtower reports saved items that have appeared in known breaches.

Trade-offs. The Mac app requires macOS 12 or newer, so it will not run on macOS 11 or earlier. Passkey unlock needs macOS Ventura 13 or later, so that sign-in method is unavailable on macOS 12. Consumer pricing is not published; the official pricing page routes business plans through a quote request. Consumer pricing is not published by the developer in the sources Nuanyue tracks. Apple Silicon support is not stated in the sources Nuanyue tracks.

Not for. Anyone who needs to inspect the source of their password manager — 1Password is closed source. Buyers who need published consumer pricing before committing — the official site publishes none.

What it does. Encrypted vault holding passwords, passkeys, secure notes and payment details. Autofill in browsers and native Mac apps. Watchtower monitoring for items exposed in known breaches. Expiring share links for individual vault items.

1Password is listed with current version 8.12.38.

Full profile and verified facts for 1Password →

Bitwarden

Bitwarden is a password manager for macOS. Open source password management tool for Mac OS, iOS and browsers. It is released under GPL-3.0.

Strengths. The free tier includes unlimited passwords and unlimited devices, not a capped trial. The clients are open source under the GPL v3.0, with the code public on GitHub. According to the developer, a self-hosted server option exists for teams that need the vault on their own infrastructure.

Trade-offs. Not all of the repository is GPL: code under /bitwarden_license — the enterprise functionality — is under the separate Bitwarden License v1.0. The features most people want — integrated authenticator (TOTP), file attachments, emergency access and vault health reports — sit behind the paid Premium tier. Every paid plan is billed annually; the pricing page publishes no monthly option. Apple Silicon support is recorded as developer-stated rather than verified — bitwarden.com does not state the app’s architecture in words.

Not for. Anyone who needs every component to be open source — code under /bitwarden_license is under the separate Bitwarden License v1.0. People who need a monthly billing option — every paid plan is billed annually.

What it does. End-to-end encrypted vault for logins, passkeys, cards, identities and secure notes. Autotype, which types credentials into native Mac apps that have no autofill API. Unlimited passwords and unlimited devices on the free tier. Cross-device sync through a Bitwarden account.

Bitwarden is listed with current version 2026.9.1.

Full profile and verified facts for Bitwarden →

Buttercup

Buttercup is a password manager for macOS. The Password Manager You Deserve. It is free.

Full profile and verified facts for Buttercup →

Dashlane

Dashlane is a password manager for macOS. Cloud password manager for macOS and other platforms, sold on an annual subscription with unlimited passwords, passkeys and devices. It is subscription.

Strengths. According to the developer, both remaining plans include unlimited stored passwords and passkeys and unlimited devices. Secure sharing is unlimited on both plans. Dark web monitoring is included rather than sold as an add-on.

Trade-offs. There is no free plan: Dashlane states it no longer offers or sells Dashlane Free. There is no monthly billing: Dashlane states it no longer offers monthly subscriptions for any plan. VPN for Wi-Fi protection is not available to members invited to someone else’s Friends & Family plan, only to the plan manager. The plan comparison that carries the detail lives in Dashlane’s support documentation; the pricing page Nuanyue fetched served the business plans rather than the personal ones. The minimum macOS version is not recorded here, because the value reported by the Mac App Store listing does not correspond to a published macOS release.

Not for. Anyone looking for a free password manager, since Dashlane states the Free plan has been discontinued. People who want to keep the vault in a file they own and sync themselves, because Dashlane syncs through its own service. Anyone who wants to pay monthly, since Dashlane states it no longer offers monthly subscriptions for any plan.

What it does. Stores an unlimited number of passwords and passkeys. Autofills logins across apps and browsers. Unlimited devices on one account. Unlimited secure sharing.

Dashlane is listed with current version 6.2639.0.

Full profile and verified facts for Dashlane →

Enpass

Enpass is a password manager for macOS. Cross-platform password manager that keeps the encrypted vault in cloud storage you already have, or fully offline, rather than on the vendor’s servers. It is freemium.

Strengths. According to the developer, the encrypted vault is stored in the customer’s own cloud account or offline, not on Enpass’s servers. Works fully offline with no loss of features, so credentials remain reachable without a connection. Supports iCloud, Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, Box and Nextcloud as vault storage.

Trade-offs. The free plan caps at 25 items in a single vault, which most people exceed quickly. According to the developer, there is no hosted sync service, so the customer has to supply cloud storage or work offline. Pricing is localised, so the cost depends on region and cannot be stated as a single figure. Enpass’s pricing page localises currency, so published prices differ by region and no single worldwide figure is recorded here. Enpass does not operate a sync service, so keeping devices in step depends on the customer’s own cloud account or on copying the vault by hand.

Not for. Anyone who wants the vendor to host and sync the vault for them, which is the opposite of Enpass’s model. People who need to store more than 25 items without paying, since the free plan caps at 25 in a single vault. Anyone who needs the software to be open source, which it is not.

What it does. Keeps the encrypted vault in cloud storage you already have — iCloud, Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, Box or Nextcloud — or fully offline. Never stores the vault on Enpass’s own servers. Works fully offline with no loss of features. Unlimited vaults, each protected by encryption and a master password.

Enpass is listed with current version 6.12.7.2787.

Full profile and verified facts for Enpass →

KeePassXC

KeePassXC is a password manager for macOS. Offline, open-source password manager that keeps credentials in an encrypted local file rather than in a vendor’s cloud. It is released under GPL-3.0.

Strengths. According to the developer, the password database is an offline encrypted file and is never stored on a vendor’s servers. Source code is released under the GPLv3 and published on GitHub. Version 2.7.9 passed ANSSI’s First-level Security Certification (CSPN) and received a security visa.

Trade-offs. There is no built-in cloud sync, so keeping devices in step is left to the user. No account recovery exists: losing the database file or the master password means losing the credentials. The security certification applies to version 2.7.9 specifically, not to every later release. There is no first-party cloud sync or account recovery; syncing the database file is the user’s responsibility. Sharing a single item is done by sharing the database or an export, not by a link to one entry.

Not for. Anyone who wants a hosted service to sync and recover credentials automatically — KeePassXC has no cloud of its own. Users who want to unlock their vault with a passkey or a browser-only setup — the model here is a local database plus a master password.

What it does. Credentials stored in an offline, encrypted database file. No remote servers: the database is never uploaded to a vendor. Holds usernames, passwords, URLs, attachments and notes. Auto-fills credentials into apps.

KeePassXC is listed with current version 2.7.12.

Full profile and verified facts for KeePassXC →

Strongbox

Strongbox is a password manager for macOS. KeePass and Password Safe compatible password manager for Mac, iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch, with local or self-hosted sync, biometric unlock, browser AutoFill and YubiKey support. It is released under AGPL-3.0. It is freemium.

Strengths. According to the developer, databases are in the KeePass and Password Safe formats, so the same file opens in any compatible client on any platform. The database can be stored locally, in a cloud drive, or on your own server reached over WebDAV or SFTP. Unlocks with Face ID or Touch ID on iPhone, iPad and Mac.

Trade-offs. According to the developer, most of the features the vendor advertises — biometric unlock, AutoFill, the Apple Watch app, the SSH agent, WebDAV and SFTP sync, and YubiKey support — are listed as Pro features rather than being included in the free tier. The price is not published on the vendor’s site, so you have to open the App Store to find out what Pro costs. It is a personal or family database rather than a team password manager with shared vaults and administration. The minimum macOS version for the current release is not stated on the App Store listing Nuanyue checked; the older Mac-only listing required macOS 12. The source is published under AGPL-3.0, but the App Store build is not something a user can rebuild and install themselves.

Not for. Anyone who wants a hosted password manager with nothing to configure and no file to look after. Teams that need shared vaults with role-based administration, which Strongbox does not provide.

What it does. KeePass and Password Safe databases, so the file opens in any compatible client on any platform. Store the database on the Mac, in iCloud or a cloud drive, or on your own server over WebDAV or SFTP. Face ID and Touch ID unlock on iPhone, iPad and Mac. AutoFill in Safari, Chrome, Firefox and other browsers.

Strongbox is listed with current version 1.65.2.

Full profile and verified facts for Strongbox →

How to choose

• Free of charge. Buttercup — no payment is required.
• No licence fee, source available. Bitwarden and KeePassXC — the source can be read and, under the terms of each licence, reused.
• Freemium. Enpass and Strongbox — free to use, with paid tiers for additional features.
• Subscription. Dashlane — billed on a recurring basis.
• Pricing not published in our data. 1Password — check the developer’s own site before assuming anything about cost.

Open source: Bitwarden, KeePassXC and Strongbox (3 of 7).

Common mistakes

• Choosing a manager and then storing its master password in a browser. That returns you to the single point of failure you were trying to remove.
• Assuming a cloud vault and a local vault fail the same way. A local file you sync badly can be lost or conflicted in ways a managed service handles for you.
• Never testing recovery before you need it. An emergency kit you have not read is not a recovery plan.
• Sharing a vault when you meant to share one item. Most managers support both, and the difference is significant.

How this guide was put together

Each app’s facts come from its own record: the developer’s own pages and repository, the App Store listing where one exists, and the documentation, each with a source grade and an access date. Where a fact rests on the developer’s own statement rather than on something we verified independently, the sentence says so. Where our data has no value for something, the guide says “not published” instead of guessing.

A price appears here only where the record carries one from a stated source; the guide never estimates one, and it records the pricing model alongside so the two can be read together. Prices change and vary by region, so each app links to its own page for the current detail.

The facts and the recommendations are kept apart on purpose. Everything in the app entries, the comparison table and the answers above is composed from the records. The short answer, the criteria and the picks are our editorial judgment: they reflect what we would choose and why, and they are not paid for. Where we make a recommendation we name the condition it applies under, because we do not call anything “the best” without explaining the criteria.

Verified 2026-10-05.